Vegetarian Children’s Books

Of course vegetarian children are going to love seeing themselves, and their vegetarian values, reflected in their story books. Stories about children that are vegetarian, or life from an animal's point of view, will validate children's vegetarian heritage and lifestyle and help make them feel proud of who they are and why they are vegetarian.

The list of books and videos below offer some  recomended veggie friendlystories that your child will enjoy. Please let us know if there is a book missing from this list that we should include.

Most of the books or videos that have links on this page should be available from amazon.com .  If you purchase any item from Amazon after clicking here or on a link below you will be supporting Vegetarian Familes, as we get a small referral fee.

(The links on this page are in the process of completion. Just use the 'here' link above to find these books yourself on Amazon if you want them before we have finished this process.)

Books about vegetarianism

Cows are vegetarians, Ann Bradley, Healthways Press, 1992 (ages 5-10)

Victor, the Vegetarian: Saving Little Lambs, Radha Vignola, Aviva! 1994 (ages 5-7)

Victor's Picnic: With the Vegetarian Animals , Radha Vignola, Aviva! 1996 (ages 5-7)

Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat, Sarah Rudy

Herb the Vegetarian Dragon, Jules Bass (Author), Debbie Harter (Illustrator) Herb is a dragon mistakenly captured for marauding and eating the Kingdom’s subjects. He would be put to death were it not for a young girl pointing out that she knew him to be vegetarian as she had seen him tending his garden. Herb the Vegetarian Dragon can be customer ordered through Whitcoulls for NZ$ 17.00 as it's available within NZ.

The dragon who almost lost his head by Bill Peat. A dragon turns into a herbivore and is saved from knights out for his head because they don't look in the cave he's hiding in because there's no bones so there can't be a dragon.

The Lion who Wanted to Love too, it's by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz.  A book with a theme of a carnivorous animal who decides he can't eat his friends

The Goose That Almost Got Cooked, Marc Simont, Scholastic, 1997

Madeline and the Bad Hat , Ludwig Bemelmans, Viking, 1957

Leprechaun Cake and Other Tales – A Vegetarian Story Cookbook , Vonnie Winslow Crist, Baltimore: Vegetarian Resource Group, 1995

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals : A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things (Hardcover)  Ruby Roth (Author, Illustrator) www.wedonteatanimals.com  Available from Amazon. “Ruby uses colorful artwork and lively text to introduce vegetarianism and veganism to early readers (ages six to ten).”

Billy’s Great Adventure An older children’s story book telling of Billy the goat and the farm animals he rescues on his travels. We are investigating obtaining this book for selling in NZ

Hubert the Pudge : A Vegetarian Tale (Hardcover) Henrik Drescher  (Author, Illustrator) Hubert escapes from the factory farm and returns to save his friends. For ages 6-9 years.

Books with a vegetarian sensibility

Zeralda’s Ogre, Tommy Ungerer, (Roberts Rinhart, 1999)

The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars, Jean Merrill, Econo-clad Books, 1999

Forest Child, Marni McGee, Simon & Schuster, 1999

Miss Spider’s Tea Party, David Kirk, Scholastic, 1994

A Home For Henry, Karen Davis, Machipongo, 1998

The Chicken Gave It To Me, Anne Fine, Mammoth, 1992 (ages 7-12) Subject: hen battery farming

Regina’s Impossible Dream, Judith Worthy, Puffin Books, 1988 (ages 7-12) Subject: hen battery farming

The Sheep Pig, Dick King Smith Subject: use of animals in farming

Farmer Duck, Martin Waddell

Charlottes Web, E.B. White

Sitting Ducks, Michael Bedard (Subject: ducks on the assembly line about to become dinner.)

The Lorax, Dr Seuss

Tyrannosaurus Drip,  Julia Donaldson – “the vegetarian dinosaurs are unmistakably the goodies!”

Baa Humbug! A Sheep with a Mind of His Own, Mike Jolley  (it has a pop-up at the end)

The Lamb who came for Dinner,  Steve Smallman and Joelle Dreidemy

The Hidden Forest, Jeannie Baker - a boy loses his cray trap and then gets taken diving to find it and decides to release the fish and not fish any more when he sees the underwater world.

Books to encourage empathy with animals

We've all got belly buttons, David Martin - one for preschoolers identifying the similarities between us and our animal friends. ‘Very simple and just basically connects the similarities between us and our other animal friends in a fun and colourful way.’

Do Animals have Feelings Too? David L. Rice, Dawn Publications, 1999 (ages 5-12)

Smarter than Jack (SPCA fundraiser books)

Movies

Babe

Shark tale

Chicken Run

Children’s Cookbooks

Pretend soup and other real recipes, Mollie Katzen, (preschoolers)

Honest Pretzels Mollie Katzen (for cooks age 8 and up)

Kids can cook, Vegetarian recipes, Dorothy R Bates, Book Publishing Company

Munchies Madness, Vegetarian Meals for Teens, Dorothy R Bates, Bobbie Hinman and Robert Oser, Book Publishing Company

Children’s ‘How to be vegetarian’ books

I’m a vegetarian Ellen Schwartz, Tundra Books

The Livewire Guide to Going, being and staying Veggie, Juliet Gellatley, The Womens Press

50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals: Fun and Easy Ways to Be a Kind Kid, Ingrid Newkirk, PETA packed with fascinating facts about animals, fun activities for school and home, and loads of information to help kids grow into kind, compassionate adults. Laid out in an easy-to-read format that features charming illustrations, riddles, and quizzes. Order from www.peta.org

Books for parents

Raising Vegan Children in a Non Vegan World, Erin Pavlina, Vegfamily

Healthy eating for Life for Children, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Your Vegetarian pregnancy- A month-by-month guide to health and nutrition, Dr Holly Roberts

Compassionate Souls, Jo Ann Farb, Lantern Books

Living a Good Life, To Be a Vegetarian in New Zealand, Pam Bidwell (ed), New Zealand Vegetarian Society

The Kid's Guide to Social Action

The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook: Whole Foods To Nourish Pregnant And Breastfeeding Women And Their Families, by Cathe Olson

Publishers / distribution companies that sell these types of books:

Katipo Books - A not for profit worker's co-operative, bringing more radical and alternative material into circulation in Aotearoa. They have expressed an interest in stocking veggie friendly kids books. www.katipo.net.nz 

Pathfinders www.pathfinders.co.nz

 www.realgroovy.co.nz

Addenda Publishing distributes Barefoot Books  www.barefootbooks.com  in New Zealand as well as Free Spirit www.freespirit.com